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Every week, msnbc.com entertainment producers Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, Denise Hazlick, Paige Newman, Kurt Schlosser and Anna Chan weigh in on topics ranging from TV commercials to movie hype to the latest celebrity blunder. We're not ashamed to admit our love for bad TV or reveal what's on our iPods, and invite you to join the conversation via your comments.



Save 'Grey's Anatomy' -- kill off Izzie

Posted: Tuesday, July 22, 2008 8:20 AM by Denise Hazlick
Filed Under: , ,

Much has been made of Katherine Heigl's comments that she wasn't worthy of an Emmy nomination this year because the "Grey's Anatomy" writers didn't give her an Emmy-worthy storyline to work with. Mark Harris makes a very thoughtful argument in defense of Heigl in the July 25 issue of Entertainment Weekly (page 18 if you have a copy. I'd post a link but EW.com doesn't have it up yet). Some have argued that the comment was a ploy by Heigl to get herself written off the show so she can pursue her movie career (hopefully with movies much better than "27 Dresses"). Rumor has it that the "Grey's" writers will give Heigl her wish -- they are going to give her character, Dr. Isobel "Izzie" Stevens, a fatal brain tumor. All I can say to that is ... YES!

It has nothing to do with Heigl's comments. I tend to agree with Harris' assessment -- an actress who speaks her mind is far more interesting and refreshing than one who keeps quiet and plays it safe. Nor has it anything to do with Heigl herself. Good luck to you!


AP file

I hate Izzie Stevens and think that she (and to a lesser extent most of the women characters on the show) makes "Grey's" unwatchable. She's a basket case. If she isn't killing the man she loves in order to save him (ever hear of the Hippocratic oath?), she's seducing her married best friend George (don't get me started on that character) or freaking out in the O.R., E.R., cafeteria -- everywhere. If she were my doctor, I'd report her to the AMA.

Now before you tell me "it's just a TV show, you can't take this literally, you have to suspend your imagination," let me tell you, that isn't a problem for me.

I had no problem believing Gerard Butler was Leonidas, King of Sparta. I believe that Gerard Butler's charm made "P.S. I Love You" a movie worth watching more than once much less just once. I believe Gerard Butler has been waiting his entire life to meet and fall in love with a 43-year-old entertainment journalist. See, I can suspend reality.

But Izzie Stevens lacks charm, lacks a brain, lacks anything resembling the maturity or compassion necessary to be a doctor, even a fake one on TV that viewers are expected to connect with, or dare I say, believe in, week after week. I've tried to watch "Grey's," but 10 minutes of Izzie has me reaching for the remote.

Heigl's right -- give Izzie something decent to do and say, or please, put her out of her misery.

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Comments

I love this show. I think the comment about not having good material was totally blown out of proportion. It’s refreshing to hear someone be honest for once, not hide in the shadows. If it gets her off the show, best of luck to her in the film industry. If not, I will continue to watch Grey’s and my favorite character, Izzy.

Aliy, Greendale, WI (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 1:56 PM)

I personally love Grey's Anatomy.  All of the characters are different for a reason . . so we can all see something that resembles our own personality. I personally love Izzy and I love Derek and Meredith being together.  Let just one couple make it please.  I do agree that the writing went downhill after the writers strike, but give them some time.  I have been hooked on this show since day one.  I still love the story about Izzy and Denny - I wish Denny would have lived.  He was an asset to the show.  I heard the last season they were tearing everything up to start rebuilding.  I'm ready for something good to happen for someone . . . and for those who bash characters and the show...if you don't like it then don't watch.  There is no reason to trash it - change the channel.  I'll continue watching, thank you.  

Renee in Iowa (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 1:57 PM)

I think if you all have that much that you don't like about the show then quit watching it.  If the characters you didn’t like were to leave, it wouldn't be the same show we all started out wanting to watch on Sunday nights.  We couldn't wait to see what happened.  I admit that after the writers strike I didn't care if I missed it or not but this season I think there will be a come back.  

Jennifer, Hopkinsville, Kentucky (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 2:04 PM)

Okay, I'm obsessed with this show and have been from day one.  I agree last season was pretty weak, and I don't see where Izzy's character came from because I took her to be sensitive and emotional not stupid like they played her out to be.  Still, I loved the finale and I'm not finished with Meredith and Derek, love them too - I just think the writers need to freshen up a bit - maybe they had too long of a break!!  

heather, chicago (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 2:05 PM)

Greys Anatomy is a wonderful, very drama filled show. It does not hurt that Mcdreamy and Mcsteamy are easy on the eyes. For the people who have a problem with the show, simply watch something different. There is no reason to criticize something that simply peaks interest to a lot of people. I guess there is always going to be someone who has to put their 2 cents in where it isnt wanted or needed by any means. Sept 25th 2 hours season premiere.... for those of you who love the show, it will be an awesome season I am sure...for those of you who just want to put the show down...try and spend more time judging yourself than others

Brooke, TN (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 2:05 PM)

I've tried to watch this show several times, because I was told that it was good. I could never understand why people watch it. It's totally unrealistic, with bad acting and horrible writing. There are a few good actors on it who are wasted by talentless writers (Heigl isn't one of them, she is constantly overacting). And this Emmy talk is press overreacting. Whatever I think about Heigl, she was right about one thing: there is no good enough material on this show to deserve Emmy nomination. I'm surprised that they've got any nominations at all. But no best drama nomination speaks volumes. Maybe Emmy voters finally realized that buzz is not enough, and what really counts is quality.

Amy, New York, NY (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 2:13 PM)

I could not agree more.  I have been saying "Izzie must die" for the past 2 seasons.  I don't care for the actress either, she seems quite self-centered and full of herself.  But Grey's would be better without Izzie.  The character of Lexie will certainly fill the nice girl role.

Wendy, Chicago, IL (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 2:18 PM)

Not sure what happen to the original writers for this show but they need to get them back STAT!  The last seasons have just been terrible.  There have been a few glimmers of entertainment...  No one has a clue where they want to go, what they want to do, or who they want to do for that matter... For cryin out loud Sheppard dumped the hot chick for the skanky Meridith... please.

De, Harrisburg, PA (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 2:20 PM)

Yes, Izzie needs to cross over into Denny Duquette's world.  Too bad Denny can't come back from the dead!

Theresa T. (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 2:20 PM)

I don't want Izzie to die, I want her to stay on the show.  I agree with the people above that would rather Meredith get killed off.  She and the Meredith/Derek pairing are annoying.  I'd much prefer to see Derek with someone new.  And more Mark & Derek scenes please!!! He's way more interesting without her.  I too was hoping she'd drown in the bay but no such luck.

Kerri, Chicago, IL (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 2:20 PM)

No no...if Heigl wants out so badly so she can do her impersonation of David Caruso's career, make her stay! I say the writers give her a storyline that involves her being in a coma for the next two seasons-that way I don't have to deal with irritating Izzie.

I say more McSteamy!

McSteamy Fan (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 2:25 PM)

The only women on this show with temperaments believable as surgeons are Bailey, Yang and Hahn. Meredith doesn't care about anyone but herself, Izzie is a nutcase, and what can I say about Lexie? Her tremulous fragility is the polar opposite of believable.

M. Evans (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 2:26 PM)

Maybe I'll watch the show again if they bring back the sexy Kate Walsh (Addison)! I'll just keep watching Private Practice until then.

Addison is Sexy, Silver Spring, MD (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 2:27 PM)

Flash in the pan Heigl is but one of the many reasons this overrated show is pure tripe. The writing is melodramatic and pedestrian, and the characters are all self absorbed and insufferably whiny. As far as Heigl's "movie career" goes, I'm sure she could call Shelley Long, Jenna Elfman, and Jeff Conaway for some pointers on a long, illustrious one.

Doug, Dallas (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 2:28 PM)

About time someone else saw the light that I see! LOL!

Niese (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 2:50 PM)

It's a television show. It is meant to entertain. If it doesn't entertain you, don't watch it but shut up!

Jill, Wyoming (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 2:53 PM)

Show used to be awesome - it ened last season with potential redemption, but Izzy is just flat annoying, since the story line with denny ended. Her character has been wasted...

Lets hope it gets back on track next yeasr..

marilyn, co spgs, co (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 2:56 PM)

I could not agree more!!! My wife and i have watched grey's since the beginning. While we found it a fun show to watch there were two characters that i could not stand Meredith and Izzy. I find Meredith to be the least interesting of all the characters and Izzy to be the most annoying. Let the writers write them off the show and rename it.

Jordan Ganan (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 2:59 PM)

I HATE Izzie! They should kill her!
Katherine Heigl CAN'T act.

Meredith Grey is THE BEST character of this show.

kill of Izzie (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 3:01 PM)

I think that it was very brave of Katherine to speak truthfully about how she felt. It wasn't a personal strike against anyone. She just wanted to give other actresses a chance at what she's already experienced.

As for the show in general, I believe that season two was by far the best season and it's something I watch over and over again. I truly believe that the writers are cooking up a greater story line for its next season. Here's hoping anyway!

Bea, Hawthorne, CA (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 3:02 PM)

I watched the show for two reasons: George and Izzie, individually, together, as a couple and as friends. You get rid of one of them and I am done forever.

Marina (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 3:06 PM)

I love Izzie, except when she is with Alex, yikes. I loved the romance with George, even though i did not condone the affair. Their love was the only believable to me. If you want to get rid of someone, get rid of boring Alex or annoying Callie.

Gigi, Ottawa (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 3:08 PM)

How about this:
1. Kill Meredeth. Have baby sister carry on the namesake torch.

2. Izzie..hmm...you don't want complete overkill here [ha], so she leaves in a different manner.  I'm thinking something a bit more graceful like starting some kind of grassroots charity thing at the hospital that eventually takes off that she decides to pursue.

2.5 OR - Izzie and George's wife take each other down in an epic battle, preferably involving mouth guards, swords, and those damn plastic casings that electronics are packaged in that are ridiculously hard to open. And maybe a waffle iron.

3. George becomes a hippie.  Think about it- I'm already amused.

4. I'm not sure what to do about McDreamy.  He started to annoy me a while ago.  In lieu of something better, he can simply move to Florida and become my physical therapist and feed me grapes on Tuesdays.

Sarah Lydia, Gainesville, FL (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 3:12 PM)

Make Izzie the new "coma guy" put her in a coma.  Have somebody pouring their heart out to her in every episode, then kill her in the series finale.

Nancy, Austin, TX (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 3:17 PM)

Whatever happened to the whole 'long-lost daughter that Izzie gave up for adoption' storyline? They could have gone somewhere really interesting with that but dropped it for the lame Izzie-George romance drama. It was so annoying, just like the Joey-Rachel thing near the end of Friends - lots of build-up, but once they actually got together, the writers got bored or didn't know what to do with them as an actual couple, so they just decided to drop it with no real explanation.

MM, Orlando, FL (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 3:21 PM)

I stopped watching for months now.  I hate watching (me/me/me) Meredith and (ditzy)Izzy.  George just gets on my Nerves.. McDreamy needs to go into some sort of coma for a while.  What's the other guy's name...?  The bad boy... No not Mcsteamy... the other one.  Give him something interesting to say and don't make it dumb

Chan, Montego Bay, jamaica (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 3:30 PM)

The first season of Grey's was the only great one. It's gone steadily downhill and gotten extremely silly and unbelievable since. They need to get back to actual "medical" story lines again instead of all this Meredith/McDreamy relationship drama. Who really cares anymore?

And Izzy's character is really annoying to boot. If she were a real person she would never last as a doctor in the real world.

Jeanne-Suffern, NY (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 3:34 PM)

Grey's started out OK but like most series has lost all it's punch. Boring stories and "TV" acting. Getting rid of Izzie might be OK for one show, what about the balance of the staff, one at a time?

Chris McBride, Napa, CA (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 3:34 PM)

Deb, are you talking about Gerard's scottish accent? I somehow don't think you did watch Phantom of the Opera, it was sung for the most part.

I don't watch Grey's Anatomy, but am looking forward to seeing Gerry and Katherine in The Ugly Truth.  After your article, I just might start watching Grey's Anatomy.  

Kay, Bellevue, Wa (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 3:38 PM)

I agree with some of this.  I really like Katherine Heigl...I think she's got lots of promise as far as her acting career goes.
I also at one time liked Grey's Anatomy.  The first season was fairly witty and had some interesting elements (Meredith's mother and less than perfect family, etc.)  However, my like of the show ended with the whole climax of the Izzie/Denny story arc.  Season three is when I completely stopped watching.  It felt like the quality of the writing tanked, the good actors got annoying, and the annoying actors got worse.
If they write off Heigl's character then more power to her in the pursuit of her acting career.  I think Grey's has not only jumped the shark but it's now dancing around the tank mocking the shark and contemplating how many more jumps it can pull off.

Leslie, Albuquerque (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 3:39 PM)

I don't see what's the big deal.  If they were all perfectly normal, non-annoying people, then there would be nothing even remotely interesting about the show.  And if they were all likeable, it would be totally boring.  On any TV show, there is always going to be some character that each and every viewer doesn't like.  And just because some fraction of the audience doesn't like that person doesn't mean he or she needs to be killed off.  Isn't TV more fun with the characters we love to hate?  And as several others have already said, if you don't like the show, or you HATE Izzy, then please quit watching the show and quit your bitching.  That makes you just as annoying as all the whiney people on the show that so many of you claim you can't stand!!!  I like Grey's and I like Izzy just fine.  And CR I agree with you completely!  Couldn't have said it better myself.

Megan, Indiana (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 3:40 PM)

Please, Please get rid of Izzie (Katherine) and never, ever nominate her for another emmy.  I think it is just plain old rude to take your name out of contention for an award.  First, it is not just your work they are judging but the material that you were given.  This affects other income and lifestyle.  She is not a very good actress, I will give her that, but downplay someones writing skills, because you don't think.  It's just wrong.  She should probably try to keep this job, their are not many out their for her, she will be as has been, before she is a been.

Pamela O , Detrot, MI (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 4:05 PM)

HELLO!!! How can we kill off Izzie with a brain tumor when Meredith and Derek killed so many people at the end of last season perfecting the "inject the virus in the tumor" cure for brain tumors? I work as a RN in a hospital and I find that the silliness of all the characters are very realistic to what you find in the real world...these are people with problems...having DR in front of your name doesn't make you have 'it' together.  I will agree that last season all together was a mess but I'm going to contribute it to the writers strike and give everyone a chance this season before I agree that we should start killing off characters -- and give Izzie a break....did anyone see how Alex and Ava ended the season....that was even more ridiculous!!!!!

Kristin, Orangeburg, South Carolina (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 4:15 PM)

Denise, I agree with you 100%, except that Gerry B. is destined to fall for a 29 year old, slightly neurotic, healthcare worker who...well, better not give too much of the story line away.  But you know what I mean!  

Can't wait to host an "Izzy's dying" themed Grey's night gettogether.  What a hoot that'll be.

Jennifer, Durham, NC (Sent Tuesday, July 22, 2008 4:25 PM)



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